Machine for splitting fibers



Nov. 14, 1939. BA E 2,180,273

' MACHINE FOR SPLITTINGvFIBERS Filed March 29, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 14, 1939. YER 2,180,273

MACHINE FOR SPLITTII IG FIBERS Filed March 29, 1957 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 cape the needles so Patented Nov. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Q 2,180,273 I Q MACHINE FOR sru'r'rme FIBERS Ludwig Bayer, Nuremberg, Germany Application March 29, weasel-m No. 133,748

In Germany December 7 Claims. (0]. 300-2) My invention relates to an improved arrangement of needles and carrier therefor for slitting or splitting horse hairs, vegetable fiber, or the like.

A known process for the slitting or splitting of the ends of horse hair vegetable fibers, or the like in the manufacture of brushes for example, consists in sticking sharp needles provided on a revolving cylinder into the separate hairs or the like and then splitting the hairs lengthwise by means of the needles. For this purpose the ma-,- terial to be treated is gripped by a special pincer in round bundles and held against the needles or. glliarp pins provided on a rotating cylinder or a The outer hairs or the like in the bundles held together by the pincer are spread outwardly so that these hairs or fibers lie less closely together than those in the center of the bundle. Also, the hairs located in the center, since they are. to a certain extent more firmly gripped, do not eseasily as do the outer hairs. Consequently, in order that the treatment of the hair bundle may be as effective as possible, it is proposed according to the invention to increase the number of tearing needles at those places where the hairs are more loosely held together and can easily escape, so that in this way the outer hairs of the bundle are, during the treatment, sub'jectedto the action of-a larger number of needles than are the center hairs of the bundle. According to the invention the needles are arranged closer together at the outer ends of the needle plate or strip than in the center. It is immaterial whether the needle plates or strips be arranged on the cylindrical surface of the rotating cylinder or on its ends.

A further feature of the invention consists in curving the needle plates or strips in order that a really, exact adaptation of the needle plate or strip to the shape of the bundle is obtained. The 'bundle of hairs or fibers to be split up is, in known manner, moistened preferably in soap -lye, before the splitting process and thereby the bundle becomes saturated with liquid and spreads be slit. This end of the brush bundle will, tens. sequently, as can also be seen from the finished brush for example, have a spherical form, that is, the center hairs stand out more than the fibers which are located further outwards and are bent outwardly under the liquid pressure and their own tension.

' The invention will be more fully explained with M h tio of th 1 out at the end to permit the fibers or hairs tyg them and t e ac n e c amp reference to three examples of execution shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of aslitting or splitting machine for horse hair, vegetable fibers, or the like. I

Fig. la is a perspective view of a needle plate or strip constructed according to the invention.

Fig. 1b is a similar view to Fig. 1a of a needle plate or strip according to the invention showing a modified form of needle arrangement. 10

Fig. 1c is a perspective view of a further modified form of needle plate or strip. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary and diagrammatic elevation of a modification; and

Fig. 3 is a similar view of a further modification. On a shaft I00 (Fig. 1) there is fitted a loose pulley g and a fast pulley g. The shaft I00 rotates in bearings b and has a disc e fixed on one end. On this disc are fixed needle strips d. In front of the disc e is arranged a trough h in which a carrier element consisting of the clamping pincers i rest during the treatment of the bundle k. The whole arrangement rests on a base a.

By means of any desired device, for example by a fast pulley driven by cross belts, the direction of rotation of the disc e can be altered. If a direct drive by an electric motor is used, this is preferably reversible in its direction of drive, in. order to be able to rotate the disc e backwards, preferably at a lower speed, when the needle holder is to be freed from residue. 'For this purpose a thick bundle of bristles or the like is held against'the needle plates or,strips whereby these are freed afterafew revolutions from all residues. In the opposite direction of rotation, the needles penetrate into the hairs or fibers to be slit and split their ends open.

As is shown the compression of clamp i spreads the bundle and the outer hairs or fibers of the bundles thereby lie less closely together and will be more likely to escape thr needles on the rotation ofthe disc e than will the center hairs or fibers of the bundles, which hairs or fibers are held comparatively closely together by the hairs and then again decreases in like manner towards the other end of the strip. The rows of needles are at an inclination with respect to the longitudinal axis of the needlestrip or plate, so that 5 the needle field is as dense as possible in its direction of movement, that is, in the direction of the transverse axis of the needle plate. A greater number of needles are arranged towards the ends d of the needle plates or strips, and thus at the two ends. of the plate the needle field is at its maximum density. d

It will in certain cases not be necessary to make the increasing of the size of the spaces between the needle rows towards the center of the needle liably attained when individual groups of needle rows are distributed over the needle plate, the spacing between rows in each group being uniform but the spacing in one group differing from the spacing in the other. In such an arrangement, collection of needles is the thickest at the ends d of the needle strips or plates.

In Fig. 1b is shown such a combination of groups. The three center rows 1 of needles are like distances apart from each other, the following rows m again arelike but smaller distances apart as compared with the rows of the center group, while the remaining end rows 0 whileequally spaced from each other are closer together as compared with the rows m.

Fig. 1c shows a curved needle plate or strip 11 on which are mounted needle sets arranged more densely at the ends (1 in the manner of Fig. 1a. The needle plate is capable of meeting every requirement in the slitting process. It is particularly adapted to the previously described semi-spherical form assumed by the inserted and clamped bundle end. By this arrangement, all hairs or fibers are acted upon equally and are slit to the same extent, even though the outer hairs, by reason of the semi-spherical form assumed by the bundle end, do not extend as far beyond the clamping means i as do the hairs in the center of the bundle. Obviously, there is no difficulty in arranging such needle-strips according to Fig. 1c eitherv on the circumference of a revolving cylinder or on its end surface, for example on a revolving disc e. Any suitable auxiliary means (not shown) for accommodating the curved plate (1 to the fiat or reversely curved surface of the rotary means e may be used.

llt is clear that the needles need not be arranged on separate strips. They can, of course, be carried directly by a cylinder, either on the cylindrical surface thereof, as in Fig. 2, or on one'of v its ends, as in Fig. 3. Here also, the above described forms of needle distribution could be carrid out, and with the needles placed on the cy- .lindrlcal' surface the denser grouping would be \provided on the ends of the cylinder. If, however, the needles are carried on the ends of the cylinder, a circular central zone of the cylinder would have a denser arrangement of needles,

which gradually and progressively opens out towards the outside and again becomes denser towards the perimeter of the circular surface. 'The curving of the needle arrangement as shown in Fig. 1c can also be used when the needles are carried directly bya cylinder or a disc.

axle H and needles I! arranged in the manner described on the periphery of the cylinder.

Flg. 3 shows a cylinder 13, axle and needles I! arranged in the manner described, on one end of the cylinder l3.

plate continuous. Very good results can be re-.

Fig. 2 shows a cylinder l0 having a rotating It will finally be advantageous in every case still further to intensify the needle field in the centre of the needle disc as compared with the outer edge in view of the fact that the velocity of the needles decreases towards the centre of the disc. Many other changes in the needle arrangement according to the invention appearpossible without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventive idea as hereinafter claimed. I claim:

1. An apparatus for splitting the individual elements of bundles of fibrous material including a disk rotatable on a fixed axis and having a front face, a trough-like support fixed eccentrically of said disk, a carrier element adapted to grasp a bundle of fibrous elements, said carrier element being rotatable in said support, said support extending substantially at right angles to said front face, and a plurality of sets of splitting needles projecting from said front face.

2. An apparatus for splitting the individual elements of bundles of fibrous material including a disk rotatable on a fixed axis and having a front face, a trough-like support fixed eccentrically of said disk, a carrier element adapted to grasp a bundle of fibrous elements, said carrier element being rotatable in said support, said support extending substantially at right angles to said front face, a plurality. of sets of needle holders mounted substantially radially on said disk at the front face thereof, and a multiplicity of needles extending forwardly from each holder.

3. An apparatus for splitting the individual elements of bundles of fibrous material including a disk rotatable on a fixed axis and having a .holders mounted substantially radially on said disk at the front face thereof, and a multiplicity of needles extending forwardly from each holder, the needles of each holder being grouped closer together at the-ends of the holdenthan at the intermediate parts thereof.

4. An apparatus for splitting the individual elements of bundles of fibrous material including a disk rotatable on a fixed axis and having a front face, a trough-like support fixed eccentrically of said disk, a carrier element adapted to grasp a bundle of fibrous elements, said carrier element being rotatable in said support, said support extending substantially at right angles to said front face, a plurality of sets of needle holders mounted substantially radially on said disk at the front face thereof, and a multi-- plicity of needles extending forwardly from each holder, the needles of each holder being grouped closer together at the ends of the holder than at the intermediate parts thereof and the needles at the outer end of each holder being. closer together than the needles at the inner end thereof.

.5. An apparatus for splitting 'the individual elements of bundles of fibrous material including a disk rotatable on a fixed axis and having a front face, a trough-like support fixedeccentrically of said disk, 8. carrier element adapted to grasp a bundle of fibrous elements, said car-- ,rier element being rotatable in said support, said support extending substantially at right angles to said front face, a plurality of sets of needle holders mounted substantially radially on said disk at the front face thereof, and a multiplicity of needles extending forwardly from each holder, said needles being arranged in spaced rows extending diagonally of the holders.

6. An apparatus for splitting the individual elements of bundles of fibrous material including a disk rotatable on shared axis and having a front face, a trough-like support fixed eccentrically of said disk, a carrierelement adapted to grasp a bundle of fibrous elements, said carrier element being rotatable in said support, said support extending substantially at right angles to said front face, a plurality of sets of needle holders mounted substantially radially on said disk at the front face thereof, and a multiplicity of needles extending forwardly from each holder, the needles of each holder being" srouped closer together at the ends of the holder than at the intermediate parts thereof, said needles being arranged in spaced rows extending 20 diagonally of the holders.

'7. An apparatus for splitting the individual elements of bundles of .flbrous material including a disk rotatable on a fixed axis and'having a-front face, a troufih-like support fixed eccentrically of said disk, a carrier element adapted to grasp a bundle of fibrous elements, 'said carrier element being rotatable in said support, said support extending substantially at 'right angles to said front face, aplurality of sets of needle holders mounted substantially radially on said "disk at the front face thereof, and a multiplicity of needles extending forwardly from each holder, the needles of each holder being grouped closer together at the ends of the holder than at the intermediate parts. thereof and the needles at the outer end of each holder being closer together than the needles at the ,inner end thereof, said needles being arranged in spaced rows extending diagonally of the holders.

. LUDWIG BAYER; 

